rowan
Americannoun
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the European mountain ash, Sorbus aucuparia, having pinnate leaves and clusters of bright red berries.
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either of two American mountain ashes, Sorbus americana or S. sambucifolia.
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the berry of any of these trees.
noun
Etymology
Origin of rowan
1795–1805; < Old Norse *raun- in reynir, Norwegian raun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Native trees like alder, spruce and rowan are interspersed with hawthorn shrubs.
From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026
By a fence at the school, Lowfield Primary, stands a young rowan tree.
From BBC • Dec. 4, 2023
The moose mostly ate birch, rowan and willow trees.
From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2023
Flavored with Scottish rowan berry among other botanicals.
From Washington Post • Sep. 27, 2021
Valerian lifts my necklace of rowan berries from his pocket and smirks at me.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
